About Grades

I know that you care about your grades. I also think that your grades are important. At the beginning of the term in each class that I teach, I have students complete the About Your Grades training and quiz. That training Prezi is available to you in Blackboard throughout the term.

What is my grade in this class?

I provide up-to-date information about your grade at all times in the Blackboard Grade Center.

What is the difference between the Current Grade and the Grade out of 100%?

The column called “Current Grade” displays your current grade at all times. This grade shows you how you are doing in the course, based ONLY on the assignments that have been completed and graded. It will change frequently throughout the term.

The column called “Grade out of 100%” displays the grade out of ALL assignments for this course. The number in this column can ONLY go up.

I just submitted an assignment. When will it be graded?

I return grades within two weeks after an assignment is submitted. I e-mail the class when the grade center is updated.

Why did I get the grade I did?

I grade based only on the stated grading criteria for the assignment. I provide feedback for your performance on the rubric linked to that grade in the Blackboard grade center.

Why do I have a zero for a grade?

I enter a zero for a grade only after the deadline for an assignment has passed and there have been no attempts to complete that assignment.

I’m still confused about why I got the grade I did. Can I e-mail you about it?

No, federal privacy laws dictate that I can only discuss specifics about your grades with you in person or via video chat. I can answer general questions about grades in the course, like how much an assignment is worth, via e-mail, because that information is published online in a publicly accessible forum.

I’m not happy with my grade. Can I do extra credit to pull it up?

Any extra credit that I offer will be offered ONLY to the entire class, not to individual students. In most of my classes, I offer extra credit questions on each exam. Please check your syllabus to see if you have any other extra credit that is offered for your class.

You said the lowest grade of a particular category (e.g., chapter quizzes) is dropped from my grade. When will that happen?

I have set up the Blackboard grade center to automatically drop the lowest grade(s) from your grade.